| Innovative App Updates Reinforce Userplane's Leadership Position In Providing IM and Chat Solutions to Online Dating Communities |
“Online dating sites need to realize that they must equip their members with innovative, easy-to-use tools to remain competitive and to make online communication simple, immediate and personal. Our entire suite of applications enables true and safe interaction among participants, no matter where they're located.”
Userplane (www.userplane.com), a pioneer in providing enterprise social software for online communities, today announced its new deployments of its Flash-based audio/video communication tools for PlentyofFish, an up-and-coming Internet dating service. Userplane made the announcement on the eve of iDate 2005, the premier conference and exhibition for the singles industry, which begins on Wednesday in Miami.
PlentyofFish (www.plentyoffish.com), a free online dating service, is expanding its communication capabilities by deploying Userplane's Instant Communicator and Web Chat to enable members to converse with each other using live audio and video.
PlentyofFish Media Inc. currently welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a day, with the majority of members in the U.S. and Canada. According to alexa.com, an Internet traffic measuring service, Plentyoffish traffic exceeds that of many of the more established dating sites in the industry. Plentyoffish.com began operations in March 2003 and is dedicated to offering online dating as a free service.
In an increasingly competitive space, dating sites seek innovative tools to differentiate themselves. Userplane's instant messaging and chat tools give users the ability to see and hear each other by streaming both audio and video through a Flash MX-based client. The use of Macromedia Flash technology for both front-end and back-end functions gives dating and social networking sites complete design flexibility, one-click access for the vast majority of users, simple integration of audio and video, and support for PC, Linux and Macintosh platforms.
Userplane recently updated its Instant Communicator to allow for advanced ways to connect users online. The A/V instant messaging App now includes a full HTML-based presence detection and IC window launching system that supports an alert system to send email messages to recipients who "miss" their connection attempts from other users. Userplane Web Chat was also upgraded to include new administrative functions, which customize who on the site can see and send A/V as well and who can and cannot send text.
"By strategically enabling a curious site visitor to demo the Apps, companies can leverage these new features to attract new membership sign-ups," said Michael Jones, president of Userplane. "Online dating sites need to realize that they must equip their members with innovative, easy-to-use tools to remain competitive and to make online communication simple, immediate and personal. Our entire suite of applications enables true and safe interaction among participants, no matter where they're located."
The Userplane Community Suite allows full website administrative control, integration via XML with a website's user database, and customization for each deployment to match the business model and branding of the site.
About Userplane
Based in Los Angeles, Userplane is the premier provider of enterprise social software for online communities. Userplane Apps are elegant, easy to use, and rapidly deployed Web-based applications. Leveraging Macromedia Flash, the Apps are lightweight, cross-platform with no user installation, and customizable for a site's specific needs. Userplane Apps are deployed internationally on sites ranging from online communities to intranets. The application suite reaches tens of millions of users and supports more than three million live conversations a month in twelve countries. Userplane continues to provide forward-thinking Web and software development for industry-leading clients including Red Bull, Honda and 1-800 Flowers.
Note to editors: High-resolution Web or print Userplane Application screenshots are available at http://www.userplane.com/partner/press.cfm.
